To Claim a Rose
by Faulty Paragon
Summary: Ruby has always taken more after Qrow than Taiyang- and that is more than enough to threaten the peace within their family. It's also more than enough to break Qrow's heart. Takes place somewhere in Vol. 1 or 2, take your pick.


A/N: Why is it that RWBY is so easy to write about? So many plot bunnies, so little time. And yes, I am NOT part of the Dad!Qrow camp. It's weird to me and I don't like it.

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To Claim a Rose

The room was dead silent, the occupants all focused upon the final moments before them. This was it- this would decide the champion. This would make or break them, change everything they had ever known, alter their bonds _forever_.

"Fatality," the announcer on-screen finally declared, filling the air with a victory fanfare and a defeated scream from Yang as she threw her Scroll across the room, eyes flashing red.

"Oh my gosh Uncle Qrow, how did you _do that!_ " Ruby shrieked, throwing her arms around his neck.

Qrow chuckled from his seat, mussing the girl's hair affectionately. "And _that's_ what you call 'skill', pipsqueak. Unlike the brute force of your big sis over here," he jabbed his thumb over to a fuming Yang storming out of the room, " _I_ play smart."

"That's why you're the coolest!" Ruby squealed, pulling out her Scroll. "Play with me next, okay? Okay? Please?"

The man ran his hands through his hair, letting out an exasperated sigh. He looked at her fondly, sitting in anticipation next to him with her Scroll ready to play. "Alright, kiddo, I suppose I can go through _one_ more round…"

"Yay!" Ruby cried, throwing her hands up in the air excitedly before settling into a focused stance. "I'm so ready for this."

"You know I'm only going to play since I know this won't last long, right? I'm gonna wipe the floor with ya," Qrow teased.

Ruby huffed, eyes still glued to the screen as the next round's countdown began. "I shall take revenge for my sister, Uncle Qrow. It shall be swift! It shall be stealthy! It shall be _unstoppable!_ "

The game began, and within a few seconds, Ruby's avatar was already lying on the ground, defeated.

Dramatically, she fell to her knees, letting her Scroll hang limp in one hand. "Curse you and your reflexes, Uncle Qrow!" she cried, waving a fist forlornly in the air.

He shook his head in amusement, sitting back. "C'mon, kiddo, did you really think you can beat me?"

Before she could respond, however, a knock caught their attention. Turning around, Qrow waved a hand nonchalantly at the tired figure of Taiyang, leaning against the doorframe with a ladle in hand. "Yo. Aren't you gonna drip soup on the carpet if you wave that thing around?"

Ignoring the comment, the blond man sighed, "Ruby, honey, please don't yell. I keep thinking that you're dying, when you're actually just in here. And you," he pointed accusingly at Qrow, "stop riling her up. One of these days I'm going to have a heart attack."

She pouted, crossing her arms, petulant. "But _dad,_ " she moaned, "I'm gaming with Uncle Qrow right now! Let me have my fun, I haven't relaxed for so long!"

"Honey," he insisted firmly, "I know this is your first vacation from Beacon, but you've got to remember that your dad is old and doesn't like listening to his daughters yell constantly, okay? It's enough that you've constantly got Yang firing off her Semblance whenever you play."

"But dad-"

"Listen honey-"

"But _dad-"_

"Listen to him, Ruby," Qrow interrupted, standing up and stretching out a kink in his back. "I think he's running out of trees for Yang to punch when she's mad. Let's give him a break before she starts destroying upholstery, shall we?"

"Oooooh," Ruby replied immediately. "Okay." She stood up as well, imitating the elder and stretching.

Taiyang watched the entire exchange with a raised brow. "Really? You listen to him rather than me, Ruby?"

The dark-haired man chuckled quietly. "She has to listen. I'm her teacher, remember?"

The blond huffed. "I'm a teacher at Signal too, thank you very much."

Qrow shrugged. "But your little munchkin here was _my_ scythe-wielding disciple. Of course she listens to me- it's a matter of life or death. What do you tell her about? Her laundry?" Ruby snickered at that, and eagerly high-fived the elder man as he smirked at the blond.

The man squinted his eyes, looking between the two suspiciously. "Fine, I give up! Jeez, with the amount that you listen to Qrow, you'd think _he_ was your dad, Ruby!" Taiyang finally cried, throwing his hands up in the air.

Qrow laughed heartily at that, feeling a lightness he hadn't felt in a while lift across his shoulders. "Me, with kids? Well I'd be nuts to try and deal with these punks everyday," he teased, reaching over to pat Ruby on the head again.

However, instead of meeting his comments with her own jibes, Ruby simply stood there, stock-still. Her large silver eyes were cast down, fingers curled loosely around the controls of her Scroll. It was as if all the life had been instantaneously sucked out of her.

He waved a hand in front of her eyes, but she didn't respond. "Hey, Ruby? Sweetie? What's up?" he asked lightly, but she didn't answer. He traded a concerned looked with Taiyang, who just shrugged, waiting for Ruby's response.

A crash was heard from the kitchen, Yang's voice calling sheepishly, "I blame Zwei!"

Too distracted by his elder daughter's mishap, Taiyang lost track of Ruby's sudden silence. Instead, he just waved at the two in front of the holo-screen, then ran towards the kitchen. "Yang Xiao Long, I swear to god if you knocked down my beef stew from the stove I will _fight you young lady-_ "

Qrow watched the man leave before turning back to Ruby, who was still standing in complete silence. "Hey, kiddo, why the silence? You still there?" he asked jokingly, but she didn't respond.

"Is it true?" she finally whispered. Qrow took a step back, hearing the hitch in her voice. Eyes still facing down, she whispered, "Uncle Qrow, why would Dad say that?"

Frowning, Qrow knelt before the girl, letting out a small gasp as he saw that her silver eyes were watery with tears threatening to spill. He reached out, tilting her chin up slightly to look her in the eyes. "Whaddya mean, kid?"

"I know I don't look that much like Dad," she whispered. Her lips wobbled, and with a sinking feeling in his stomach, Qrow could see that the dam holding her tears back was about to break. And break, it did- she sobbed at last, "Does that mean I'm really not his?"

Panicking, Qrow reached out to hold the girl close to his chest, feeling her shoulders trembling in his grasp. "Ssh, pipsqueak, what's gotten into you?" he asked softly, stroking her hair. "Where did that come from?"

Through hiccups, she sobbed, "Kids at Signal said it, and kids at Beacon say it too. I don't really look like Yang, and Yang looks like Dad, and when they see pictures of you, they say I'm probably yours, which isn't a bad thing of course but why would they say that, and why would _Dad_ say that? It's not funny, I don't like it-"

"Hey there, breathe," he soothed, making a mental note to punch Taiyang later.

After her shaking had stilled, he sighed heavily, then took a deep breath. The slight scent of perfume hit his nose, sweet and floral-

 _The scent of roses._

Images flashed through his mind, and his whole body stiffened immediately. Silver eyes, long dark hair hidden underneath a hood far too deep, a smile that was always so sweet and so wide and so kind-

A smile that was never aimed at him.

 _Summer._

He broke out of his reverie, sighing again. Letting go of the girl, he took a step back and knelt down once more, grabbing her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "Look. Ruby, I don't know what to say. Your dad-" he bit his lip, almost laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. "Your dad _is_ Taiyang, believe me. You and Yang are sisters, no matter what crap anyone else says."

"But- but-" she sniffled.

"Hey, don't interrupt me," he growled, standing up and ruffling her hair. "You don't look like Taiyang 'cause you look like the spitting image of your mom, Summer."

"Really?" she asked, silvery eyes hopeful as they looked up at him. The look made his knees weak.

 _Even if I wanted you to be my kid, there's no way. Summer never looked at me like that._ "Yes, really, you little brat." He reached down and wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "Now, don't go telling your dad that you were doubting him, okay? We already know that he wouldn't be able to take it, considering how stressed he is already about how much cooler than him I am."

Ruby finally giggled, the sound lifting a bit of the weight on Qrow's heart. "Yeah, I guess there's no way that _you_ could be my dad," she murmured. "After all, you don't make enough bad puns to be a dad."

Qrow barked out a laugh. "With that logic, Yang could be your dad," he teased, poking her forehead affectionately.

Ruby laughed, smiling wide, then hugged Qrow's arm. "Sorry for that, Uncle Qrow," she murmured, squeezing tight. "Thanks for being here."

He laughed, ruffling her hair. "Anytime, you little punk. Now, go make sure that Tai isn't murdering your sister."

She shrugged, all traces of her previous fears gone, aside from the reddening splotches around her eyes and nose. "Meh. I'm more worried about Dad than Yang."

"True that, kid, true that. Off with you then," he motioned, waving as the bright girl ran out of the room. Her laughter echoed through the halls as she found her father and sister.

Qrow sighed, suddenly extremely exhausted. He pulled out the chair at Ruby's desk, taking a seat and hanging his head in his hands. Ruby was gone, but the scent of roses was still there, lingering, trapped within him.

A long, low chuckle escaped him, but there was no joy- only sorrow. _I wouldn't mind having a kid of my own like you, Ruby,_ he thought darkly. _Tai's a lucky man._

After all, Taiyang Xiao Long had every right to see Summer Rose within his daughter, every right to be reminded of her beauty, her kindness, her strength. Summer had been his partner, after all.

All Qrow could feel when remembering his first love was regret, guilt, sorrow. Shame.

 _How I wouldn't mind a kid of my own like you._


End file.
